The Status of Minority Languages Under the Conditions of Multilingualism (Based on the Example of the Language Situation in Belgium and Canada)

The purpose of the article is to consider the status of the minority languages in the territory of modern Belgium and Canada, as well as their impact on the language conflicts in these regions. The study of the linguistic situation of Belgium and Canada is of great practical importance allowing us to reveal the basics and nature of the language policy of the states as a whole, to evaluate the prospects of a particular policy with regard to the state languages in the countries where the linguistic situation is extremely stressful. According to the aim, the following tasks were solved: defying the notion ‘linguistic situation’, studying the historical dynamics of the interaction of the languages which are components of the linguistic situation, considering the issue of the status of the languages in the multiethnic society, defying the main features of bilingualism, analyzing the specific features of the language policy of the state, determining the parameters of the linguistic situation in Belgium and Canada. The study considers the world and regional language formations represented in the territory of Belgium and Canada. The research considers the topical issues of the language policy and the activity of the institutions that deal with monitoring the observation of the citizens’ language rights and the settlement of the interlingual conflict. The results of the study can be used in the teaching of sociolinguistics, linguocultural studies, linguistic geography, and in students’ scientific research.